In the News

Good Evening Viewers,

Welcome to the Bi-monthly from the RBC*.

The headlines

A popular blogging portal had selected Reflections last post as their Saturday Spicy pick. Confusion and chaos followed. Details below.

The term exams have started and there is tangible tension in the air.

And in sports news RBC celebrates the victory of underdogs WestIndies.

******************************************

News in Detail

After 5 long yrs of blogging, one of Reflections post……….made it to Saturday Spicy pick.

She stared in amazement.

Rubbed her eyes and stared again.

It was true.

Her heart overcome with joy started a wild dance which refused to stop.

So what if the post was copied and pasted from an article she read.

She felt like……

She exclaimed that she couldn’t possibly explain how she felt.

But you know her, she needs to explain or she’ll burst….

We will now take you to her and let her explain in her own words how she felt….

“I was sooo thrilled. I now know how Amitabh Bachchanji must have felt when he finally received a filmfare award for Agneepath. Before I continue let me wish the superstar, "Happy 70^th Budday" *waves to camera & blows kisses*

[pausing dramatically]

But it all came crashing down when I realised they misconstrued my entire post….

Bronnie Ware is the person who worked there not me[refer previous post for details].

I wrote to the concerned authorities immediately about the error and am hopeful they’ll do the neccesary amendment.

[leans forward and looks directly into the camera]

But I am not surprised.

You see, these things happen to me all the time.

People kinda assume I’m something which I’m totally not. And I so badly wish to be what they think I am, not because I want to be what they think I am[oh alright maybe a leeetle bit] but because I don’t want them to feel they have erred in their judgement. You get what I mean. You don’t??? Yeah well it’s complicated…….”

[Fade out & back to prim newsreader looking suspiciously like Ms. N’s twin sister ]

Thank You Maam. That was Ms N clarifying her stand on the issue.

[Pauses and continues]

Ms. N also listened to Mayawati’s speech at the Party rally 2 days back and shook her head in amazement. 

“Time will reveal” she said cryptically when asked her stance on the issue and refused to comment further. 

In other news….

After 3 years and 8 months of successfully blocking the tv channels on their idiotbox, Ms. N’s family chanced upon a receiver lying unused in an acquaintance's safekeeping. They sort of blanked out after that. The next thing they know is that the receiver mysteriously found itself in their living room and nobody had logical explanation as to how it reached there. Ms N and family are now always found in front of the tv watching reruns of comedy circus back from 2009. They are also found laughing themselves silly over the episodes and don’t even leave their seats for fear of missing the wonderful advertisements aired.

Side by side, an uneasy atmosphere prevails in Ms N’s Household as the first term exams are going on. We are not prepared, the family gloomily admit. The children are quiet……very quiet, hoping to be overlooked if they made no noise and just kept to themselves. The adults ofcourse are aware that they’ll have only themselves to blame if the kids perform poorly.

On a happier note, Ms N had a celebrity moment a few days back. As you all are aware Ms N has very old friends who don’t think much of the blog and when questioned they critically analyse that there is more hype than matter in this space. So it came as a surprise to Ms N when an old friend told her that her new collegue was a big fan of this blog. The friend’s voice held a shocked element; Ms N face had a beeg grin on it and she wisely held her tongue. Ms N would like to thank this blog-friend for raising this humble blogger's value in her friend’s eyes;-D.

Sports News

Ms N was overjoyed when the West Indies lifted the T20 Trophy. Not surprising since she is always rooting for the underdogs. 
[A pop-up in the corner shows Ms N shrieking "Chris Gayle......BIG Fan*pointing to self*]

But she looked very dispirited when asked to comment about Lance Armstrong. “I’m very disappointed, seems like Heroes don’t exist anywhere except in storybooks. I keep hoping he’ll come back with proof and redeem all our faith but the evidence is damning. None of us like to admit we've been played for fools huh” shrugging her shoulders resignedly.

Ms N has also been eagerly waiting for the temperatures to drop so that she could make a start on her exercise regime. As expected, temperatures dropped but Ms N is still waiting. She is now waiting for inspiration.  Suggestion and comments on this topic are welcome. All messages will be read & replied to by Ms N personally.

That’s all in the news toda......

[News reader is handed a scrap of paper by random hand]

Reports have just come in that Ms N’s congratulatory message to Mr. Bachchan has been misconstrued by his fans. ABFA have asked for a public apology.

When questioned Ms N began dramatically “I’m completely innocent. Why is it that I am always in the news for the wrong reasons? It is all a big misunderstanding. I have nothing but respect for the old man........ ”

Fresh violence broke out among the protesters.

[fades out]

That’s all in the new today. Good day!!!!

[RBC signature tune follows] 

*Reflections Broadcasting Corporation

To Die without Regret

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called 'The Top Five Regrets of the Dying'. Bronnie Ware realised while working with terminally ill patients and she shares the five most common regrets the dying have.

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last 3 to 12 weeks of their lives.

People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:
 
1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.
 
It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.

2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.
 
By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.
 
We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.
 
When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.

Life is a choice.

It is YOUR life.

Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly.

Choose happiness.

Tried and Tested on Kids

A friend of mine got married in his late thirties and they had a baby recently. He is a big guy in the creative field, very confident but fatherhood has completely freaked him out. He takes a very healthy interest in his baby and even the minutest details are given a lot of attention. 

Once in a while we meet online, after the barest pleasantries he is onto his favourite subject…his baby. I try to calm him down with all the stuff I remember about when my kids were little. One day he thanked me profusely for all the help and asked me why despite being a mother there wasn’t a single post on bringing up children on the blog.

I laughed & dismissed the idea of a post outright but after grandly announcing my return to blogging a week back and then looking around blankly for a while[for inspiration;-P] I didn’t have much choice.

Anyways here is some gyaan for what it’s worth….

#Babies generally cry for 3 reasons; hunger, lack of sleep or a wet nappy. Only after you’ve ticked off these 3 things, should you proceed forward to exploring your other[often unfounded] fears.

Another reason could be gas. That’s why burps are like sweet music to the parents’ ears. Timely burps also saves you from needing to change your outfit after every feed which your baby dutifully throws up on you.
How to do it: Hold baby upright and pat the back gently for a while. You know what they say about watched kettles right……don’t expect the burb right away; give it 20 mins, if you are lucky it will happen in 10. The little ones who burp immediately & to the point[minus the mess I mean] have very, very lucky parents.

#Using cotton nappys is a very noble thought but if you want a good night’s sleep use a good[brand] diaper only for the nights. Just wash the itty-bitty bummy with water & mild soap everytime you change the diaper & apply a bit of Vaseline. A good night’s sleep for everybody involved assured.

#Don’t knock Pacifiers without trying them. If you have a baby with Mariah Carey’s musical pitch[the kind that can shatter glass] or the depth of an ambulance siren[goes on and on] pacifiers are life-savers. This tip is from a good friend.

#Please don’t invest in baby walkers. They ruin the shape of your little one’s legs. Many of the bow-legged children you see around you are victims of these contraptions.

#Resist the temptation of taking pictures of your little ones without their clothes. Spare a thought for the poor kid who will cringe in embarrassment later on. And maybe even hold it against you for the rest of his life.
I’m not even going into the bit about when these pics get into the wrong hands.

#Sleep is very important. A schedule even more so. A child who sleeps & wakes up on schedule is a happy kid [most of the time].

#Tantrums can be avoided 85% of the time if the parents are alert. Take the child away immediately from the cause of discontent and distract him with something else. DO NOT allow the child to wallow in his misery thinking you are teaching him a lesson. All it serves is to make him more stubborn.

#Be extra careful when you use words like ‘No’, ‘I don’t know’ and ‘Go get it yourself’. Before you know it they’ll be repeating it back to you….and in the same tone;-/.

On the same topic…..we all know how fast they pick up phrases like ‘Shut up’ ‘get out’ and ‘I hate him’ or ‘he's lying’. Instead of yelling at them uselessly, teach them to substitute the same with ‘Keep quiet’ ‘please leave’ and ‘I don’t like him’ or  'he's not telling the truth'. You may have to repeat this a few times but once they get the hang of it our ears are spared.

And the last life-saving tip….

#Never, I say never teach your toddler the correct word for a ‘private part’ of the body. Use a nickname, codeword or refer to it as another bodypart. This tip will save you from embarrassment more times than you’ll be able to count.

There’s more but I’ll get off while the going is good. I get the feeling some of you are already looking at me very disapprovingly.

Once again, I don’t claim to be any expert; these are some things which worked for me and I’m sharing them with you. Feel free to discuss, argue and add your gyaan on how it worked for youJ.

Yesterday...

....we went to a Mall.

Never again....

We managed to lose some money in the first 1/2hr itself…..alright alright I lost the money.

We walked back & forth endlessly to register a complaint. The better-half thought it was useless but I was like 'We are not going to lose anything, are we???'. We did. We lost 80 precious minutes.

The kids didn’t get the books they were hoping to pick up[which was why we were in the mall in the first place] and were very disappointed.

It was just 8pm but we prudently decided to go home while the going was good.

The world-famous driverless Dubai metro broke down; all passengers were directed to alight at some random station and wait for buses to take them home. 

The metro officials called us back after 15 mins and announced that the metro will drop us in the next station....which it did....but which again was in the middle of nowhere.

The 2 buses provided for the emergency finally arrived and saw 4 busloads of people clambering inside & another 2 busloads outside trying to get a leg in. We didn’t even bother, just stood at the peripherals and watched the entertaining absorbing sight.

The kids who make it their business to check out the rest-rooms in a mall forgot their routine.

We tried to flag down taxis but others got there first till there were no more taxis.

We gave up and started walking. Walking in the humidity was NOT funny especially when we were not even sure if it was in the right direction.

Somewhere inbetween Nikita's sandal strap gave up adding to her our woes; with that Nikita burst into tears.

We were hungry, thirsty and not a restaurant in sight.

There was lots of time for contemplation….
*we wondered if Friday the 13^th got her dates mixed up.
*the kids decided adventures were just NOT their thing and will be very careful in future about what they wished for.

*the better-half was grimly striding in front of us, like as if he got information that the country was going to war.
*I was critically examining the episode from all angles; after all the first post after a blog-break must not in any way reflect the blogger's fear that her skills may have rusted.

And just like that a fast-food joint came up on the horizon and we rushed in for sustenance.

The food was lousy but we ate it stoically; nothing was going to be taken for granted any more.

And reviewed our situation….we spent the last of our money on the meal and there was not a single ATM in the vicinity.

……

……

We reached home around 12.30am

Never again will we bunk church to go mall-crawling.

45 degrees

Hello….

Yup still on the blog-break.

It will re-start right after this post.

This post is a ‘couldn’t help but post’ post.

It is a cry for help.

I know most of you must be thinking[judging by the title ie] that I'm writing to talk about the horrible weather out here.

Yeah well the weather is terrible but I have a more pressing problem for which I need a solution.

And who else can I turn to but all of you kind people!!!!!!

Usually I'd phone a friend but since the problem is just about that, so I have no go but to ask you for help. 

I’m not much of a phone person but once or twice or thrice or four or five times a week I get a few calls from family/friends/relatives/acquaintances/ex-colleagues/old neighbours/church members who want latest updates on what’s going on this side of town.

That’s right, they all call me on their own free will.

Mostly they call whenever they think they are unlikely to be disturbed. Like, when they know they have a bit of free time before the next meeting or during their lunch hour or when their boss is out for the next 2 hours. Because you see, once the call is made, it is a known fact  that both parties will not get off the phone for the next 40 minutes at the very least. Only a fire or a fire drill can have the power to interrupt. Actually until a few days back we didn’t think a fire drill could affect the length of our conversation but we were forced to face the bitter truth;-o.

In short I’m so interesting that the other party can’t bear to keep the phone down.

In short they call me when they are free. And expect to be occupied for the next hour.

But that doesn’t mean I am free, right??????

Ofcourse I'm not free. You all are aware, I hold an important position in a non-profit organisation where work never ends. In my field one work leads to another. Even before I finish a job and dream about stretching my tired arms 2 more jobs are jostling to catch my eye. And if it’s not a job it’s about maintaining peace among the members in my team. Oh yes a volatile bunch I tell u. And if it’s not the team there are external factors knocking on my door, I meant figuratively ofcourse.

Right and all of you know I’m sooo busy that I took a blog break I had no wish to take. See if that’s not proof then what else is????

So as I was saying, the problem is that I hate to tell them I’m busy. I simply can’t be mean to a nice person who called me to ask how I was and want the minutes on what’s going on in my life. And I also want to know what they’ve been upto. So I try hard to fit the call inspite of my busy schedule.

I promise myself my work will not suffer.

So I place the cordless close to the ear, sort of tilt my head sideways in a 45 degrees angle, wedge the instrument between head and neck and talk.

And do my work.

And chatter away.

And do my work.

Everything is good initially.

But after 15-20 minutes it begins to hurt.

My neck, it begins to hurt.

Then I have to stop half-way the work I am doing, hold the phone with my hand for sometime and converse.

Time is ticking.

Work is pending.

Deadlines have to be met.

When the head and neck finish their rotating exercises I put the cordless back in place. But after 15 minutes the shoulder and neck starts hurting again.

You get my problem right.

Sometimes I put it on speaker but the person on the other side gets uncomfortable as soon they realise they are on speaker. And also I cannot move around freely if it is on speaker because they can’t hear me as clearly if I turn away even for a second and that moment is lost.

Momentum is everything in these situations. An ill-placed pause, a funny tapping noise from inside the phone, an unexpected doorbell ring can make the news-giver clam up and the moment is then lost forever.

Damn, damn damn then keeps echoing in the head the whole day.

Residing in the Gulf and if one is a homemaker, it is an isolated life. One is forced to stay indoors for many reasons. The blistering heat being one of them. The lack of a DL could be another. Nobody wants to hire you the biggest. Like I said, the reasons are many. So these telephone calls are actually blessings in disguise. They distract us from our mundane routine and make us aware of the problems which the rest of the population face. We forget our worries for the moment to focus on a comrade’s concerns. We get an opportunity to offer our valuable advice and many a time help them see a new perspective. We feel worthy. The reverse works too. By the end of a conversation there is a lightness in the heart, a lift in the spirits and bonus the house is sparkling clean the scheduled work for the day is completed and one never felt like one was working all the while.

Which brings me back to my problem. I’m getting a pain in the neck holding the cordless in the crick of my neck and I want a solution.

Now according to me a Bluetooth is the answer; the wireless technology seems like the perfect solution to all my problems.

So I request the better-half to get me a Bluetooth. He was ok with the idea until he found out I wanted it for the landline. Well ofcourse I want it for the landline. Local calls are free only on the landline, why else will I ask for one???? He looked at me funny. Like as if I live with my head up in the clouds. Like as if I don’t know what’s going on around me. Like how this woman would have survived out in the real world if I hadn’t married her.

I on the other hand am thinking more practically. More realistically. I’m thinking maybe he doesn't have the answer. He’s like that you know…hates to admit he doesn’t have the solution to everything. He launches into some technical jargon to explain rattle me. In the beginning it used to be terribly confusing. But after 13 yrs I can see through it all. I smile at him kindly and pat him to indicate I understand. 

I have more important things to do.....

Like googling for neck exercises. 

Like finding time to write a post when I’m so unbelievably busy.

And actively searching for a solution before I reach this stage[It's not my fault if I come across funny pics like these when I'm researching for solutions]-->

You understand right, and will help, won’t You?????

Arigatou once again:-))

A BIG Thank You to all of you who responded to the previous post, my mails and messages.

Special Thanks to all who delurked for the first time and after a long time, thank U also to the lurkers who have voted:-)). 

The competition closed last night. The drawings as of now are placed in the 11^th & 12^th place. I’m not sure we stand a chance to win the prize but we are HOPEFUL.

The kids were thrilled with all the attention and comments except for a comment which was full of hate. Poor things were totally taken aback by that one comment. I encouraged them to look beyond that it but it was difficult. I myself was a little disturbed. But atleast I understand that there are all kinds of people making this world.

There were other minor issues too….like Nikita who simply couldn’t understand how Naina all of a sudden got ahead of her in the votes tally;-D.

And Naina the eternal complainer is still walking around with a gloomy expression because she got lesser comments than her Chechi. She is not bothered about the votes all that much. Talk about priorities;-/.

They also brought in quite a few votes by telling their teachers, classmates & friends in School. And when they saw another kid in the competition posting messages in each contestants comment box asking for votes they asked me if they could do the same. And quite a few responded backJ.

We also learnt that there was a bit of hera-pheri going on. Some of the contestants were accused of using proxy sites to vote for their drawing. I was not exactly sure how this worked & so couldn’t explain to the kids when they asked. All I could tell them was that there was a suspicion that a few contestants were bringing in votes the illegal way. At first they were hopping mad but later on hopeful that the organisers will see through it and then they’ll stand a GOOD chance of being selected among the 5 finalists.

All in all a very good experience. I normally don’t push the kids to do anything they don’t like or are uncomfortable with because I remember my own hang-ups as a kid. Believe me I had a lot of them. But when I see enterprising parents all around me I feel I need to encourage them more. After all how do they know whether they’ll enjoy it or not until they try it.

Spelling Bee Competition is next. Naina has on her own come forward and asked if she could take part whereas Nikita is not very interested[she knows the hard work involved;-P]. I have cunningly[reverse psychology people, reverse psychology;-D] got her to register. If I’m going exert effort training one kid, for the same effort I can do two, right. Plus I need something to occupy them in the summer hols.

Which brings me to the next part……….I have tentatively decided to take a break from blogging. Maybe till September or October. We’ve decided not to go home this year. Which is why this blog-break doesn’t make any sense even to me. But I feel like one. But like I said I’m not sure. I still haven't forgotten my last blog-break, I almost didn’t get back. And that is my one and only fear.

So I’m thinking I won’t close all avenues. If I really feel like posting something…..like pictures or interesting forwards I’ll do that. And whether I post or not I’ll be around…checking on all of you whether you guys are behaving yourselves and ofcourse posting my ‘valuable’ inputs on your posts….hah you can’t stop me there;-D.

And yeah IF we win I’ll definitely tell YOU about it;-D.

Thank YOU once again for all the support!!!!!!!!!!

Moo's the word....

The first I heard about it was when the kids brought home a promotion pack from school in early June. The pack contained lots of puzzles, questions, stickers and facts about milk and things related to Milk.

“What’s the occasion???” I wonder.

“It was World Milk Day on June 1^st” the kids educate me.

The UAE Ministry of Education was working alongside a popular Milk Brand to raise awareness about the importance of milk in the diet of growing children. Hence the goody packs.

The kids were also talking about a picture they had to draw & post on a website which will win them exciting prizes. I was okay with them doing the puzzles and reading up facts but since they had unit tests coming up I sternly told them they could work on the drawing after the tests. Anyways they had time till June 20^th to upload their picture didn’t they???

As the week passed I could hear them discussing amongst themselves about the other kids who posted their pictures and collected ‘n’ number of votes, all the while throwing hopeful/dark/beseeching looks at me. All the emotional blackmail didn’t affect me..…the unit tests were not a joke, a percentage of the marks were added to the final examination total. We couldn’t afford to sit back and take it easy. 

A week or so later after the kids left to school, I found the competition form while I was clearing up and decided to read what the whole hullabaloo was about. One of the things which caught my eye was the prize. There were 3 prizes….each was an all-expenses paid family holiday to New Zealand, the home of Anchor. My heart stopped beating for a moment; I dropped everything and sat down to read everything about the competition.

Anybody who has followed this blog for more than 2 years now, know about my fascination with New Zealand. You've noticed right, how every meme which asks “Favourite Place to visit” has New Zealand plastered on it. 

You get what I’m driving at……it seemed like a sign. It was like somebody sitting high up above was telling me “You always wanted to go there right, I’ll give you a chance to work at it”. A feeling of guilt I was trying to fulfil a dream of mine through the kids also ran through the mind but was quickly dismissed to focus on more important matters.

The subject for the competition was “Draw your Dream New Zealand Farm” and the only condition was that the farm should show pasture, cows and milk. Didn’t sound too hard huh???

When the kids came back home I magnanimously told them they could get started on their drawings provided they finished their lessons first. The kids were so thrilled that post lunch, foregoing their usual reading time, they sat down and finished all their portions in one go.

Nikita had a vision of what she was going to draw and was soon involved in it but Naina as usual dawdled, every once in a while craning her head to look at her Chechi was doing and trying to emulate her. You see, Nikita can draw from the images in her head whereas Naina till today drew from picture books.

I was not even sure whether Naina was going to finish her drawing but it was important that she tried because…..

She needed to be given the opportunity.

She needed to build her confidence.

She’ll eat our heads and make all of us miserable complaining that we didn’t even give her a chance. That she was never given any importance because she is youngest. That she wished she was born eldest. That life is so unfair. That she is SAD. That nobody understands her. That…..

By now we are all ready to pull our hair out.

Naina draws well but has no confidence in her abilities. The better-half & I are so tired of telling her she is as good as her sister if not better. Anyways, fed up with the whining I picked up a few picture books and asked her to find pictures depicting farm life and take inspiration from that. She took one look at me and knew I had reached the end of my tether & quietly started going thru the books.

It took them both 2 days to complete the pictures. One day to draw & the next to colour. On the 2^nd day again Naina was found loitering around disconsolately. Her grouse…her picture was not as ‘full of details’ as Chechi’s. Personally I liked Naina’s picture better but how do I tell her??? Nikita was sitting there colouring her picture and her ears were trained in this direction. And even if I took her aside and told her the 1^st thing she’ll do is go and triumphantly tell her sister what I said. And now for goodness sakes, now you guys don’t rat on me.

I gathered every ounce of patience I had[I was this close to telling her to quit] and sat with her till she finished. Finally we posted both the pictures on the site. And voted.

1 vote each.

We then checked out the rest of the competition. And that was when it hit us. VOTES. We needed votes. Lots of them. And that was when I realised how much they lost out on because they hadn’t posted their pictures earlier. I set to work immediately and sent out an SOS to almost all the names on my contact list, then sent messages to many FB friends. Almost 96% of you replied back within a day to say you voted. 

Thank U!!!!!!

A special thanks to Sakshi who not only voted from all the machines/ipad/smartphones in her house but also personally went to her husband’s office in the evening and forced all the people in the office to vote for 2 little kids she has never seen.

In the course of one week my children accumulated 300 votes and stood first from their school. In this process we learnt a lot. Atleast I felt like I woke up from a deep sleep. For all my dreams about going to NZ I didn’t put much effort, just mailed everybody and thought I did my bit. But as the votes kept mounting and good wishes poured in the kids were so happy……..ecstatic about EACH & EVERY vote they got. Every comment was precious. It was infectious. I too began to feel that my kids actually stood a chance. I began thinking about what else I could do. 

To be honest I was not going to post it on the blog at all. I felt a bit silly. Like I was advertising or begging even. And all for what….for my daughters’ doodles. Now emails are different. How different??? I am not sure…more kind of private-like, I suppose. No logic, I know;-).

So I then scanned my contact list again & mailed a few people who I had omitted when I sent emails earlier. Like aunties who I don’t keep in touch all that much, who will think ‘Oho she needs help, so she contacted us now’. Like Uncles who held important positions in their companies, who might laugh at this niece who has no other work than to bug people for votes for her daughters’ scribbles. 
Guess what??? 
In reply they all called me, discussed with me how they could help & with child-like enthusiasm promised me they would forward it to all their contacts and even post it on their Facebook accounts;-D.

I mean, seriously?????

I was so touched. From my friends yes I expected & received support but people who I never expected any attention from, it just floored me. Made me think.

The votes have crossed 400+ now and we have just 2 days[last date: 20^th June 2012] to accumulate another 400 votes to be on par with the others. Tall order I know. The kids are enthusiastically campaigning for votes at school. The better-half has finally started telling his friends about it. And I am posting it on my blog and asking you ALL to go to the link given below and vote. I’ll go as far as to ask you to vote from every single laptop/tablet/smartphone around the vicinity[they've got this 1 machine=1 vote funda] and plus mail people you think will help. If you are too busy it's okay because even your ONE vote is precious. That I know you will give me. Thank YOU already:-))!!!!!

The links:

Removed.

We may or may not win but we are determined to go down trying!!!!

p.s: Just as I was ending the post I realised that I could have just copy/pasted the short mail I sent to everybody earlier but you know me...on the blog I metamorphosize into this alien being who needs to explain in great detail the whys & wherefores.

Of Colds, Cakes and Curtains

My original intention was to let the pictures do the talking.  I thought for once I'll spare you the long-winded monologues and come directly to the point. I'm sure we all agree that original intentions are always usually well-meaning ones. If I had followed my original intentions I'd have climbed atleast 2 mountains by now, served as a librarian in my spare time and raised money for charity inbetween. 

Note to people who wandered in for the first time: Now is the perfect time to get out of here, most posts on this page are about the blogger and her 'frog in the well' existence. A perfect example is this post...she is updating on what happened to her between the last update and today. 

"What happened???" You ask.

Why, nothing!!!

Aaaah you are getting the gist!!! 

Thats right, the blogger loves to believe people are interested in her ramblings. 

What about all the people who comment on her blog????

They are all people with hearts of Gold, I salute them for their patience and kind-heartedness.

So just go, Go, GO before you get entangled in her nothings!!!!!

Without further ado......

We caught a cold.

We medicated ourselves and successfully managed to turn it into an infection.

We are now dutifully following the doctor's instructions. 

Naina was the only one who was excited. 

The doc prescribed antibiotics in the form of tablets[instead of the usual bitter syrup] for her. 

She makes a big production out of it. First time you see. 

• Tablet - check
• Water - check
• Chair to sit on - check
• Table to place water & tablet on - check
• Jug of water closeby in case she needs more - check

Method:

First she drinks a little water to moisten her mouth.

Then she places the tablet in the centre of her tongue.

She raises glass of water immediately to mouth and swallows 3-4 gulps of it in quick succession.

Then grins at me triumphantly as if she is the only kid in the world who has swallowed tablets.

I cater to all her whims.

Just grateful she eats them without a fuss.

Reason: I hated tablets when I was young; my mum went thru a harrowing 20 minutes every time it was time for my medicines.

I think we fell sick because of this stoopid, stoopid park. It's right behind our apartment. I leaned far out and took this picture from my balcony to show you; the things I do to keep you guys entertained. 

We knew summer[the horrid humid months] was around the corner so we wanted to make the most of the good weather. I went for morning walks & badminton, the kids played till they dropped & the better-half exercised & played volleyball. 

Moral of the story: People who are couch-potatoes by nature should not attempt heroics.

Remember this plant??? 

Oh dont mind the Aloe Vera, it cant decide whether it wants to live or die. 

I'm talking about the tiny stalk in the brown pot. 

The one I got from the park from my morning walks. 

The one I planted over Naina's plum seed. Remember??? 

Good news: It blooomed;-D. 

Bad news: Naina is expecting to eat plums very soon.

At school

Coming back to how we fell sick, there could be another reason. Last weekend we sat outside in the humidity for more than 2 hours waiting for Nikita's program to start. It could also have happened because we went hunting for black stockings in the hot sun the previous day because Nikita piteously cried about how they would throw her out of the song if she went without them. 

Reaction: Hopping mad when I saw more than half the kids were not wearing them;-/.

The only good thing about infections is that we stay put. 

No energy to move equals more puzzle pieces finding their groove. 

Move....groove......gosh, I'm waxing poetry now;-o

What do u mean you can't make out any difference from the last picture I posted and this???? 

I fixed the mountains and 30% of the forest. 

See???? 

Favourite Quote: Believe you can and you are halfway there ~Theodore Roosevelt

Like I said, no energy to move means no energy to light the stove.

Now I really have to set aside a separate book for poetry.

What's the point of cooking something we can't taste right??? 

But one must make the effort.

Heights of Perseverance: We dragged ourselves to the nearest burger joint and forced ourselves to eat.

I claim no credit for the white scribblings

When complaints of 'no taste in the mouth' rose to a crescendo it was time.....

Time to let go.

Time to raise the bar.

Time to bake a cake silly;-).

That box with the blue lid.....there's a perfectly good reason why it's there in the picture.

Honest Truth: It's got cupcakes. 

=================================================

Now my original intention was to end this post with the cake picture.

Way back in April I wrote about my glass window & the need for curtains. 

Everybody agreed I needed curtains.

The next post when I talk about my complicated thought process, you comment "Did you put up the curtains???"  

Then when I blog about the anti-social elements I'm raising in my backyard and you are "Don't tell me you haven't got those curtains yet????"

I don't blog for 2 weeks and I get tongue-in-cheek mails asking if I was busy shopping for curtains???

So settling all doubts & queries in that direction.....

Proof: The curtains!!!!